The Butterfly Effect
by sarah and crazy-dreams
Summary: What if Chris had shown up a week later? Lorelai and Luke have their painting 'date', and Lorelai is unnerved by a chain of events that lead her to think of Luke in a different light. Set during the second half of Season 1, with a javajunkie spin.
1. Chapter One

The Butterfly Effect

by crazy-dreams and Sarah Dawson

[Insert standard disclaimer junk here]

Authors note:  
  


Sarah: Yes! Just so you know, this is my very first co-written story! so yay! we're very proud, just for the record-- not much to say, but make sure you review! Hmm, possibly the worst authors note ever, but hey! storys more important, right? Oh, and by the way, the title will be explained later, right kait??

crazy-dreams: Woah, does that mean explained by me? Let's see if it becomes self-explanatory. This is also my first co-written story. Picks up during _That Damn Donna Reed _cos there was so much great JavaJunkie potential in the first season (unlike the crappy third one!)… yeah I think that's all I have to say for now. Thanks Sarah for all the great work so far. Enjoy! 

Chapter One

Rory fiddled with the radio as they drove home from Hartford. "I'm in the mood for sappy love songs, aren't you?" she asked Lorelai cheerfully.  
  
Lorelai rolled her eyes. "That's just because you can't wait to go home and make kissy faces at your boyfriend. Maybe make him another dinner, wear some more pearls," She commented. 'Woo-hoo.' She thought to herself. 'My daughter's love life has more hope than mine.' She snuck a guilty look at Rory, as if she had somehow heard. "Gee, aren't we Ms. Congeniality tonight..." she muttered under her breath.   
  
"...that's so not true, Mom." Rory blushed. Lorelai snapped her attention back to her daughter. "It's just one of those things where you get a sudden craving for something, like when you decided you needed, like, fifteen packs of those sugar marshmallow bunnies and you got so sick that Luke almost refused to give you coffee out of fear you'd throw up in his diner..." Rory babbled on.   
  
Lorelai got a funny feeling in her stomach. 'Luke?...' She mused silently, reflecting on her conversation with her mother earlier that evening.   
  
_"This man was at Rory's birthday party, he came to the hospital with you, he's the male lead in every story you tell, you go to the diner every single day. I've seen the way he looks at you, the way you look at him. I'm not a fool."   
  
"Mom, please."   
  
"Why do you treat me like I don't have a clue in the world as to what is going on in your life? Now I'm asking you, as a favour, if you have any respect for me at all as your mother, just tell me. Do you have feelings for this man?"   
  
"I don't know. Maybe I do. I haven't given it much thought. Maybe I do."_   
  
What the heck had prompted her to answer like that?? _'Maybe I do.'_ Right, uh-huh. And what had her mother meant by 'the way you look at him'. Like what? How did she look at him? Like she... loved him? Lorelai, in love with Luke. Ha! Like that would *ever* happen. She drove Luke crazy. And not in an obsessed-love way, in a wanting-to-have-her-committed way. Her and Luke? Yeah, right! Uh, right... _'Maybe I do...'_ A small voice in her head taunted. Ugh! Did she?- No! It was LUKE. No. No-no...no...? Great. And now she was all confused.   
  
"Ah-ha!" Rory cried suddenly, turning up the radio. "Dedications! It's perfect!" She beamed.   
  
Lorelai sighed, shooting her a sideways glance. Fun.   
_  
"...This is Delilah, how may I help you?" The woman on the radio announced.   
  
"Well, I'd like to dedicate a song to my husband." The caller began. "We met about ten years ago in a small town in Connecticut, the same town we still live in. We were complete opposites, but we were best friends for years. We never dated each other, but people were always telling us we had a 'thing' for each other. So one day, just to prove them wrong because I was getting annoyed, I...kissed him."   
  
"Wow." Delilah said admiringly. "That took guts." _

_The caller laughed. "Yeah." She admitted. "But then, I realized that maybe everyone was right, and we really were perfect for each other. So, a few days later we started dating, and then... Everything just seemed right."   
  
"That's such an amazing story... Did you have a song in mind?" The DJ asked.   
  
****_

_"'I Finally Found Someone', by Bryan Adams and Barbara Streisand'?" _

_"Okay, we'll play that for you..." _  
  


  
As the song began playing, Lorelai's eyes widened. That was creepy. Best friends for years, small town... Oooh-kay. She took a deep breath. First with her mother, and now with the radio. Maybe she was going insane. 'I mean, why else would I be thinking about Luke this way?' She thought to herself. Honestly. But that was still a *really* scary coincidence. 'Still...' She thought wistfully. 'Funny how that could've easily been her and Luke...' She shook her head abruptly. No! Best friends do not think about each other that way. Ugh... What was up with her these days?   
  
"Ooh, Mom, that kinda sounds like you and Luke!" Rory giggled, turning to her mother. Lorelai accidentally swerved the car on the road at this.   
  
Rory gasped. "God, Mom!"   
  
"There was a deer!" She said defensively. Yeah, right. "Now, what were you, um, talking about?" Like I could forget.   
  
"You and Luke, Mom. Come on- best friends falling in love? You can't get more obvious than that." Rory replied matter-of-factly.   
  
"Ugh, that is such… And besides, you know there's nothing going on between me and Luke. So much of nothing, it's doesn't even deserve being talked about. So, change of the subject. How about those Yankees?" Lorelai shot back feebly.   
  
Rory sighed. "Oh, Mom. Mom, Mom, Mom." It was silent for a few minutes. "So, do you?" Rory asked curiously, eyes shining.   
  
Lorelai was caught off guard. "Do I...what?"   
  
Rory shot her an obvious look. "Hi, I heard you and Grandma talking. Do you have feelings for Luke?" She grinned deviously. "Hey, that would be really cool... Do you think we would get free coffee??" She asked excitedly.   
  
Her mother looked overwhelmed. "Okay, next time you have something big and important to shock Mommy with, don't do it while she's driving please."   
  
"Ooh, you are so avoiding the topic. Tell me!" Rory pressed.   
  
"Ugh, first with my mother, and now you... I have no idea, honestly." She sighed.   
  
Rory nodded. "You should figure it out. Luke's been waiting for you for, like, forever." Lorelai grimaced.   
  
"Rory, just drop it!" she snapped.   
  
Rory looked hurt, so Lorelai quickly apologized, "I'm sorry babe, I didn't mean... It's just..." she trailed off when she couldn't think of an explanation.   
  
"It's okay, Mom." Rory smiled softly. "It's just stress."  
  
Lorelai nodded. She had no idea why she'd snapped at her daughter like that. Just because Rory was talking about Luke... Lorelai didn't want to hear that Luke had been waiting for her forever, it only confused things even more. 'Think neutral thoughts,' she told herself. Food was a nice safe subject. She thought about burgers... about the Santa burger Luke had made for her, about coffee... about Luke serving her coffee... Grr.. All roads lead to Luke...   
**  
**---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  


Back in Stars Hollow, Lorelai parked the car absently in front of Luke's. Rory leapt out immediately. "Hey Mom, I'm going to go talk to Dean, okay?"   
  
"Oh... Yeah, that's, uh, that's fine, babe. I've got to talk to Luke about painting and all. See you in a minute." She stepped out of the car, not sure if she wanted to talk to Luke alone. **  
  
**

Rory ran across the road to the market, leaving Lorelai to help Luke unload painting supplies from his truck.

"So, you're sure we need this many cans?" Luke asked her as they stood outside the diner, surveying the paint they had bought.  
  
"Oh, yeah, you need enough for two coats and touch-ups and little spots. No, I'm not sure." She babbled. Sure? No, I'm not sure! 'Maybe I do, maybe I do.' the voice mocked her. God!  
  
"Well we got the paint and the brushes and the tarps and all the other stuff the paint guy said we'd need, so I guess we're ready." he replied.   
  
"Yeah, we are." That was all you could come up with? Gee, way to go Lorelai.  
  
"The only thing left to do is figure out when." he commented.  
  
"How about Friday?" she blurted out.  
  
"Friday?" Friday?  
  
"Yeah, I mean, you don't want the stuff sitting around. I don't know if paint goes bad, but judging by the smell of it when it's fresh, rotten paint would be really gross." Shoot. Friday? Why would I say Friday? I don't like Fridays. Fridays are really not good days for me. In fact, Friday are practically the least good days ever for me.  
  
"Don't you have dinner with your folks on Friday?"   
  
"Well, yeah, but I can get out early for a special occasion." Special occasion? So I make a big deal about telling my mother about the whole Luke, and now I'm supposed to try to get out of weekly dinner to spend time painting his diner? Yeah, *that's* gonna go over real well.   
  
"Friday it is." Luke agreed, slightly surprised she was willing to face the wrath of Emily Gilmore to paint.  
  
"Good." Yeah, just dandy.   
  
Lorelai waved goodbye and turned to walk down the street. She slapped her head in irritation. Great, just great...

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The next Monday, things were pretty quiet at the Inn and, unfortunately, Lorelai knew what she should do with the unexpected free time. She grimaced as she picked up the phone and dialled.

"Hi Mom, how are you?" Lorelai forced herself to sound upbeat.

"Hello Lorelai. What do you want?" 

"Gee, that's polite. Why do you always assume I'm only calling you because I want something? Or is that how you treat everyone that calls?" Lorelai asked defensively.  
  


"I find it saves time with you," Emily replied.   
  


"Well, I just wanted to let you know that I won't be able to make it to dinner on Friday."

"Why not?" asked Emily.

"Why not?" Lorelai repeated blankly. Good question. Darn, should have come up with a plausible excuse *before* calling. Note to self: next time, be prepared! She gave herself a mental kick in the head. Michel gave her a physical kick in the shins and indicated for her to get off the phone. Lorelai pointed out a couple of lost-looking guests and gave him and push in their direction. Michel glared at her and Lorelai returned to the conversation with her mother.

"Yes, why not?" Emily was demanding. "Is there some sort of special occasion? Did another of your neighbour's pets die?"

"It's not exactly a special occasion, just these plans I have," Lorelai began tentatively.

"You made plans for a night when you already had plans with us? Honestly, Lorelai!" Emily signed. "Who are these plans with? Can't you change them?"

"They're just with…a friend."

"Well I'm sure your friend will understand."

"It's a friend from out of town," Lorelai improvised. "Uh, Suzie. She's only here for one night."

"Suzie? What's her last name? Where is she from? How did you meet this friend from out of town?"

"Whoa, what's with the interrogation? It's ah, Suzie… Suzie Saltwater. We went to school together."

"Suzie Saltwater?" Emily asked in disbelief. "You did not go to school with anyone called Suzie Saltwater."

"She got married and changed her name."

"Lorelai if you don't tell me the truth, I swear…" Emily trailed off irritably, unable to think of a suitable threat.

But Lorelai already felt bad. "Okay, Mom, I have plans with Luke," she admitted, bracing herself.

"Luke? Luke, the ice man Luke? You finally have a date with the diner man?" Emily asked. Lorelai couldn't tell what her mother felt about this from her tone, but she certainly didn't want to find out. "So you actually told me the truth last Friday?"

"It's not a date, I'm just helping him paint the diner." Lorelai defended herself, a knot forming in her stomach.

"On a Friday night? You're helping Luke paint his diner on a Friday night and that's why you can't come to dinner?"  
  


"Please don't start, Mom."  
  


"Maybe if you had a date I would be a little more understanding."

"Fat chance," Lorelai muttered. 

"But painting?" Emily continued, "Tell him to hire someone."

"What for? It would cost a fortune and we're perfectly capable of doing it ourselves. Please don't make a big deal about this, Mom," Lorelai begged. "It's just this one week. And I'd just like to remind you that I don't really need your permission."

Emily was silent for a minute. "Will Rory still be coming? Or does she have to renovate Luke's kitchen?" she asked finally.

"Rory... will definitely be there."

"Fine. Have a good evening."

"Thanks," Lorelai replied a little suspiciously. "I'll see you next week." 

"Goodbye, Lorelai."

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"Rory, sweet child of mine!" Lorelai called as she unlocked the front door, desperately needing to talk.

"In here!" Rory answered from the kitchen.

Lorelai wandered in and set her purse on the table, where Rory had her homework spread out. "Okay, I am in major need of a therapist-type-person, and I was hoping you could fill in." She began as she collapsed into a chair.

"How may I help you?" Rory asked, snapping her binder shut and turning her full attention to her mother.

"Alright, here's the scoop. You know that whole... radio thing? How you mentioned it could've had something to do with Luke, and then you brought up what Emily said at dinner the other day? Okay, what absolutely possessed you to say that?" Lorelai replied somewhat anxiously, not sure how to bring it up.

"Oh, that. I already apologized, right? Because I didn't mean to upset you or anything. I just thought that maybe what you said to Grandma was true, so it might be a good time to bring it up, but then I realized that you and Luke are just friends, and that's probably all you'll ever be, and you probably just said that to Grandma so she would leave you alone, so I'm really, really sorry to bug you about it." Rory hurriedly explained.

Lorelai deflated inside. "Right... Right. Just friends. Good. That's good we... got that cleared up." She slapped her palm on the table and stood up quickly. That's what I wanted to hear, right? She thought silently, mind whirling. "I'm, uh, just gonna go down to the diner to talk paint one last time, you want anything?" she asked. 

Rory smiled before turning back to her notes. "Coffee and a burger?"

"Done." Lorelai returned a small smile and picked her purse back up. "I'm off..."

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The door's bell tinkled as Lorelai entered the diner, and for the first time, she found it extremely annoying. Who felt the need to hear a door jingle every time they walked in? There was absolutely no purpose of having an irritable noise going off every single time you walked in the door. Really, who cared? Lorelai took a deep breath. Whoa, hold up there. Kind of sounds like Luke. She frowned slightly. My friend Luke. Friend. That's all. Just friends.

She plopped down at the counter and pasted on a bright smile. "Yo, Luke!" She yelled down the counter.

"One minute, Lorelai." Luke growled back in his normal tone. It was oddly comforting to hear Luke sounding the exact same way he normally did. See, nothing had changed. Things were normal. She didn't even want anything to change! Take that, Emily...

"Hey, I need two burgers, two coffees, and an abnormally large basket of fries to go, please." She instructed as Luke walked over. He narrowed his eyes at her, pen poised.

"One of those is for Rory, right?" he said suspiciously.

Lorelai feigned hurt. "Are you accusing me of gluttony?"

"Yes." 

She stuck her tongue out at him defiantly. "Well, you're wrong. While on certain days this insinuation might be slightly accurate, today I am ordering for not only myself but my poor, poor daughter Rory, who has never been anything but sickeningly sweet to you and is now home with an insane amount of schoolwork."

Luke sighed and rolled his eyes briefly. "Fine, fine, be right back." He mumbled before heading to the kitchen.

A few minutes later, he returned with the food in a takeout bag and placed it on the counter. "I hope you and Rory enjoy your dinner," he announced sarcastically.

"Why thank you, Lucas." Lorelai grinned cheekily and accepted her order.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Luke grumbled.

"Gee, such caring people that work here." Lorelai teased. "So, I cleared the whole Friday painting thing with my mother, and it's a go."

Luke looked surprised. "Really? She was okay with it?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yep. Everything's fine."

He shook his head in wonder. "I sort of got the feeling she didn't like me."

Lorelai almost rolled her eyes. Ironic. He had nooo idea... "Oh, believe me, she does. And I can honestly say that I did not have to resort to lying about the whole painting your diner thing."

Luke raised his eyebrows suspiciously. "Why would you have to lie about something like that?"

She winced inwardly. Oops. "Oh, well, you know. Umm, painting instead of dinner at the Gilmores. I just assumed she'd think it was kind of... rude. You know, because of the whole... weekly... dinner thing. Right. But it's all fine." She quickly replied.

He nodded slowly, still confused. "Right. But it's not like it's anything... frivolous. Just a friend helping out a friend."

That funny feeling returned in the pit of Lorelai's stomach. "Absolutely. Friends."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------****

The morning after, per usual, Lorelai was at the counter, relentlessly pestering Luke. "Luke can I have some more coffee?" she asked, tapping her foot lightly against the stool she was sitting on.  
  
Luke paused to glare at her. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm a little busy here…No, not the extra creamy milk, the ordinary stuff!" he yelled into the phone, which was cradled between his ear and shoulder as his hands were full of plates. "It's what I always order," he continued ranting into the phone before turning to a customer, "That's 12.90," he said, setting one of the plates down on the counter to operate the cash register.   
  
"Extra-creamy milk is tastier," Lorelai supplied unhelpfully. Luke scowled at her.   
  
"Luke, can I have some extra sugar?" Kirk asked.   
  
"Hey, is that my burger?" another customer called from across the room.   
  
Luke started towards him to deliver the plates and stumbled over several boxes in the middle of the floor. "What the-?" he cried in frustration. A delivery man came through the door and added another box to the pile. "What are those doing there?" Luke demanded.   
  
"Delivery. Sign here, please." 

Luke gave the guy a withering look and held up his hands, still filled with plates.   
  
Lorelai, who had helped herself to a refill of coffee and was now watching the action from behind the counter and came to his aid. "Want me to take those for you?" she asked, reaching for the plates. Luke declined her help and continued yelling.  
  
"Some people can't get up and walk three feet," Luke grumbled at the customer who was waiting for the burger. "No, not you! Just get my order right," he yelled into the phone one more time before letting it drop to the floor.   
  
"Luke, about my sugar..." Kirk was following him around the room. 

Lorelai squeezed Luke's shoulder. "Calm down and let me do something to help."   
  
"Could you sign for that delivery?"  
  
"No problem."  
  
"Thanks Mrs Danes," the delivery man said when she handed his pen back.   
  
Despite the chaos in the diner around them, Luke and Lorelai both froze to the spot.  
  
"We're not married," Luke blurted out quickly, stealing a quick glance at Lorelai.   
  
"Ah, haven't tied the knot yet?" The delivery man looked at Lorelai's finger. "And not even a ring?" he turned to scold Luke, "You should make an honest woman out of this pretty lady real soon. You kids make quite a couple. See you next time." 

With a wink at Lorelai, the man exited the diner, leaving Luke and Lorelai shocked and confused.   
  
Lorelai finally laughed nervously. "Crazy guy," she said, crossing her arms awkwardly. All the--crazy--thoughts she'd been having recently came rushing back.  
  
"Yeah." Luke laughed it off as well.   
  
"Want some help with those boxes?" she offered.   
  
"Sure." Luke finally delivered the plates. "My burger's cold," the customer complained, but Luke acted as though he didn't even hear him.   
  
No big deal right? Lorelai thought as she lifted a box off the diner floor and carried it to the store room. So the strange old delivery guy thought they were married. So what? What did he know? But why had a total stranger thought they were a couple? She snuck a look at Luke and her mind wandered.... they would look good together, she mused. But it wasn't obviously, she told herself, now thinking back to what her mother had said at last Friday's dinner, about noticing the way they looked at each other. Her and Luke? No way. They were friends, that was all. So why was it that these days events were conspiring to force her to think of him as more than just the diner guy?

Chapter Two coming up soon!


	2. Chatper Two

The Butterfly Effect

by crazy-dreams and Sarah Dawson

Chapter Two

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Lorelai entered Luke's on Friday night dressed for painting and trying desperately not to think about the thing she really didn't want to think about but that she had been thinking about all week. _Way to confuse yourself, girl. _Her mind was a mess, but her mood brightened a bit when she saw the paint cans Luke had set out on the counter. Even if she was still unsure about everything, painting with Luke would make her feel better. With Luke? she thought suddenly. Right. Painting. Painting, with Luke. In his diner. She shook her head and put on a bright smile.  
  
"Hey Suzie!" she called, breezing over to him by the counter.  
  


"What did you call me?"  
  


"Private joke between my mother and I," Lorelai explained. "Actually, she didn't appreciate the joke so it's just a private joke with myself. Never mind, Lukey."

  
"Luke, Lorelai, my name is Luke." He corrected with a small frown.   
  
"Whatever, Lucas. Let's get started! I brought beer." She announced cheerfully, setting the case down on the counter.  
  
Luke sighed. "Fine. Where do we start anyways?"  
  
Her eyes lit up. "Ooh, you mean you don't know how to paint? I get to be in charge?!" She cried happily, clapping her hands.  
  
He narrowed his eyes. "No way. But, you can tell me what to do first."  
  
"Yay! C'mon, have a seat." She instructed, hopping onto the counter. He sighed a took a seat on a stool.  
  
"Okay, first we have to fill all the cracks and holes, and cover all the tables with sheets. Are we doing the upstairs too? Ooh, can I redo your apartment? Please??" She begged excitedly.  
  
Luke frowned. "Isn't it enough that I'm letting you paint the diner? It hasn't been painted in years!" he snapped.  
  
"Geez, fine." she pouted. "Now, after we cover everything, we've gotta fill up the holes, sand them back, wash the walls… I don't think we're actually gonna get much painting done tonight...."

"We'll just do as much as possible. We better get started then."   
  
Lorelai watched Luke out of the corner her eye as they worked, moving furniture and covering it with tarps. He'd be a useful guy to have around the house, she mused. She could just see them, spending weekends fixing up their house together, it would be beautiful when they were done, and… Whoa. Their house? Suddenly she had them playing happy families, like Leave It To Beaver or something? Why was she still thinking about what that delivery guy had said? Lorelai shook her head to chase away these unwanted thoughts. She was startled when Luke spoke.  
  
"I'm gonna go change before we start working with the paint. I'll be right back," he announced.  
  
"You wouldn't wanna get paint on your 'good' flannel, now would you? I bet you have flannel in categories up there, like 'flannel for nice days', 'flannel for rainy days', and everything, right?" Lorelai grinned. Luke just rolled his eyes and headed up the stairs.  
  
A minute later, he arrived back downstairs, completely flannel-less, in jeans and a t-shirt, with his baseball cap of course. Lorelai had turned on the radio and was dancing around as she mixed the paint, singing to herself.   
  


"...yeah I used to be a real wild child, but now I am a Volvo-driving soccer mom..." Lorelai hummed to herself. 

She heard someone laugh and turned around to see Luke smirking at her from the stairway.  
  
"Join me?" She joked, dancing a little. He laughed again and crossed the room to help her.  
  
"No more beer for you. I don't want the diner looking like it was painted by a five-year-old." Luke scolded mockingly.  
  


Lorelai pouted. "But Daddy, my teacher said my finger painting was the best in the class!" she wailed jokingly before they settled down to work with the radio playing in the background.

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After a while, Luke handed Lorelai an electric sander to smooth out the walls where they'd closed up some holes and headed upstairs for a moment.   
  
Lorelai switched it on and started working. A minute later, she paused and stepped back to survey her work.  
  
"I do love a woman with a power tool." Someone whispered in her ear. 

Lorelai jumped around and brandished the sander in front of her like a weapon. "Wha-? Chris?" she asked in confusion as she realised who it was.

Christopher jumped back and looked warily at the sander. "That could have been nasty."  
  


"Yeah, good thing you're so light on your feet."  
  


"It's from all of that ballroom dancing when we were younger."

"Of course. I seem to remember you being a regular Fred Astaire back then."

"I have many hidden talents."

"Hidden talents- what the hell are you doing here anyway?" Lorelai exclaimed, shaking her head in confusion.****

  
"The door was unlocked." Christopher replied with a shrug.  
  
"But what are you doing in Stars Hollow? And how did you know where I was??"  
  
"Rory said I'd find you here. I'm in town for a couple of days. I stopped by the house first and caught Rory just as she came back from you parent's place. She invited me to stay with you guys but I wanted to check with you first." Chris explained. 

Lorelai still looked really surprised to see him.  
  
"Uh, sure, I guess that's okay with me." She answered with a frown.

Luke reappeared at the stairwell. "Lorelai-" he stopped abruptly as he caught sight of Christopher.

"Oh, uh, Luke, this is Christopher Hayden. He's Rory's dad. And Chris, this is Luke Danes, he's my, uh, my diner guy." Lorelai introduced them hastily. 'My diner guy?' Lorelai froze. What had possessed her to introduce Luke in that way? She couldn't have just said 'my friend?' Now Luke looked offended that she'd just called him the 'diner guy' and Chris looked annoyed that she'd used 'MY diner guy,' which sounded really possessive. An awkward silence hung over the three. 

"Uh, I better get back to Rory," Chris said uncomfortably. 

"Yeah, we've got a lot of work to do here," said Lorelai with false cheer. 

"I'll see you later then, thanks for letting me stay, Lor. It was nice to meet you, Luke." Chris said, backing out the door.

 "Yeah, you too," Luke echoed, equally unconvincingly. After Chris left Luke looked to Lorelai for an explanation but she just held up the sander. 

"You want a turn?" she asked meekly.

Luke shook his head and turned towards the paint to finish mixing. "So...Chris is Rory's dad?"

Lorelai gave a small nod. "Yeah..." she frowned. "Doesn't really act like it, though."

Luke shrugged. "Doesn't know what he's missing." he said gruffly.

She smiled curiously. "Yeah...Yeah." she said, looking back at him.

Luke moved to the other side of the wall and they painted silently for a few minutes. "So, uh, if you don't mind me asking, what's he doing back here?" he asked finally.

Lorelai frowned. "I'm not really sure... I hate how he just- shows up like this, but I really want Rory to get to know him, and I want him to want Rory to want to get to know him- does that make sense?"

He nodded, knowing she didn't really need an answer. Besides, most of the things she said never made sense anyway.

"I just don't want Rory to get hurt--again--and I don't want to get hurt either, you know?" Lorelai continued, her roller paused. "Hey Luke?" she asked in a small voice, turning towards him. "If Chris just, you know, leaves again, do you think maybe you could... I don't know, do something nice for Rory? I mean, I know it's a lot to ask, and that you probably don't have time, but I was just thinking that if someone she cares about that cares about her--" Lorelai stopped and looked sad for a minute. "You do care about her, right?" she asked anxiously.

"You know I do, Lorelai." he assured her, his voice softer than usual.

Lorelai looked relieved. "Good. That's good. She needs someone like you Luke. We both do. Don't let her down okay?" She pleaded.

"I promise." Luke answered firmly.

Lorelai smiled to herself and returned to painting. See, Luke does too care about me... she smacked herself mentally. No, no, no, see, I'm not thinking about that, remember?? Okay, I can do that, right, sure. Yeah... right...

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Rory and Lorelai were sitting at the kitchen table the next morning with their standard cups of coffee when the phone rang. Although it was sitting right on the table between them, neither wanted to answer it.

"It'll bet it's for you anyway," Lorelai said to Rory.

"Why will it be for me?" Rory asked.  
  


"Because it's always for you."

"It is not!"

"It's probably your boyfriend."

"Dean knows we're not morning people, he'd never call me this early."

"It's 10 a.m.," Lorelai pointed out.

"On a Saturday," Rory added.

"True." 

They both sipped their coffee and stared at the ringing phone until Rory couldn't stand it anymore.

"Hello?" she answered the phone. "Sure Luke, she's right here." Rory passed the phone to Lorelai with a smirk.

Lorelai made a face as she stood up and wandered into the living room to talk. "Hey Luke, what's up?"

"Oh, I just wanted to ask you about finishing up the painting. It's strange trying to run a diner around the mess we created last night. But if you don't want to come back, I understand. I mean, since you have a guest now," Luke said awkwardly.

"That's not a guest, its just Chris," Lorelai replied dismissively.

"In however many years of knowing you, I'd never met the guy. It's not like he drops by every other week. That makes him a guest and it's okay if you want to do stuff with him while he's here."

"He's here to see Rory, not me. Don't worry, I'll be there again tonight to help you finish up," Lorelai insisted.

"If you're sure. Um, are you okay? With the guy…"

"Chris?" Lorelai interrupted.

"Yeah," Luke continued. "Are you okay with Chris showing up out of the blue? He's not being too pushy is he? Because I could…"

"You could what? Run him out of town?" Lorelai asked curiously. 

"If you want me to," Luke said, half-seriously.

My hero, she thought with a smile. She caught herself. No, wait. Luke's not... mine in any way! Ugh... "No, I'm okay with Chris being here," she said. "I was a little - a lot - surprised to see him, you know, but it's good that he's here and making an effort with Rory."

"Then why are you so eager to hide out at the diner tonight?"  
  


Hmph. Since when did Luke become so insightful? Lorelai wondered to herself. "I won't be hiding," she insisted unconvincingly. "I talked you into you to paint by saying I'd help, so I'm going to help until the end."

"Okay."

"Good."

There was a brief pause.

"Hey Lorelai? I know you have Rory and Sookie, but if you ever want someone else to talk to, I'm here."

"Thanks Luke." Lorelai was genuinely touched. Of course there was no way she could talk to him about some of the stuff that had been on her mind lately. She wondered if he'd given any more thought to the delivery guy calling her his wife. 'Of course he hasn't,' Lorelai told herself. 'It's just me going crazy and it's all my interfering mother's fault!' Besides, if she told him about all the things that she'd been thinking about recently, he'd probably laugh and call her crazy or something. Or maybe he'd... no, right, not thinking about that now. She shook her head and returned her focus to what Luke was saying.

"I'll see you tomorrow then."

"I'm looking forward to it," she replied.

"Bye."

Lorelai walked back into the kitchen with a spring in her step. She *was* looking forward to it. Luke was so sweet sometimes. And he really did care about her. In a friend-type way, she added quickly.

Lorelai put the phone back on the kitchen table, smiling, and noticed Rory staring at her.

"What?" 

"Did you just jump?" Rory asked with a laugh.

  
"Jump?"   
  
"Yeah, an excited little bounce."   
  
"No, I neither jumped nor bounced," Lorelai replied primly. "My feet do not both leave the ground at the same time unless my butt is firmly planted on a solid surface."   
  
"You jumped!" Rory repeated.  
  
"Did not!"   
  


"Well you're smiling."

"I'm smiling because you're crazy. And because Luke said something nice to me," Lorelai admitted.

"Ooohhh, you jumped because you were excited about talking to Luke!"   
  


"Did not!"

"Did so!"

  
"Absolutely did not!"  
  
"Hey, girls." Christopher greeted them as he entered the kitchen.  
  
"Christopher, perfect!" Lorelai declared, throwing her arms in the air.  
  
"Hi dad." Rory said cheerfully.  
  
"Am I... interrupting something?" he asked playfully.  
  
"Mom jumped." Rory confided.  
  
"Did not." Lorelai muttered, crossing her arms.  
  
"As entertaining as this is, I have to do my homework. And you did so jump." Rory said with a smirk, heading to her room.  
  
"Did not!" Lorelai called after Rory before turning to Chris. "What are you looking at?"   
  
"What is going on?" he asked, amused.  
  
"Nothing. I got off the phone with Luke and Rory accused me of jumping. Crazy child. Must get that from your side of the family," Lorelai teased Chris.   
  
"Ahhh. So is it serious?"   
  
"Is what serious?" Lorelai feigned naiveté.  
  
"You and Luke. I know it's none of my business, but-"   
  
"No, it's not serious! It's not there! I already told you that!"   
  
"Come on, Lor, I know you better than that."   
  
Lorelai groaned. "You should join forces with my mother!"


End file.
